In A World Like This
by yulebrinner25
Summary: As Emily struggles to readjust to her life after a great loss, someone unexpected moves back into town, reawakening feelings in Emily she never thought she'd experience again. Is Rosewood's newest resident really as troubled as everyone warns Emily she is or is there more to her than meets the eye? (Paily AU)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi Everyone! I've been so inspired by all of your amazing stories that I've decided to try my hand at writing my own. This is my first fic ever so it's going to be rough but I hope you'll bear with me. **

**I have not been able to read every Paily story yet so I do apologize for any similarities my story might have with someone else's. It is not my intention to copy anyone's work, just draw inspiration from it.**

**Please let me know what you all think. Be gentle with your comments but please be honest. How else will I get better, right?**

**Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Emily Fields finished the last refreshing sip of her ice water, savoring the ice-cold liquid as it coated the sides of her throat sending a much-needed chill through her veins. She set the glass down in front of her before flagging down the waitress for another. Though it was late September in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, it still felt like the middle of summer. She was sitting at a table at the Apple Rose Grille with her best friends, Hanna, Spencer, and Aria on a hot Sunday evening, enjoying a nice dinner before a new school week began.

"Are you finished with that?" Hanna asked, pointing to Emily's glass which now only contained ice. Not waiting for Emily to respond, Hanna grabbed an ice cube from the glass and began rubbing it on the back of her neck. "Why the hell is it still so hot? It's almost freakin' October!"

"It's actually the humidity that you're feeling, not the temperature. It's not that uncommon for the humidity levels to be this high so late in the year." replied Spencer, answering Hanna's rhetorical question.

"Whatever," Hanna retorted. "I might spontaneously combust if it doesn't cool down soon."

"So, Em, how's swim practice?" Aria asked, changing the subject.

"Good. I've shaved a couple seconds off my best time from last year. Coach Fulton might let me anchor at our next meet."

"That's awesome! Congrats, Em! I guess all that extra practice over the summer really paid off." Aria beamed.

"Yeah. It's been a good…distraction." Emily replied, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat.

All four girls fell silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Em. I didn't mean…" Aria replied, kicking herself.

"It's fine, Aria. Don't worry about it." Emily assured her.

As if sensing their need for a distraction, the waitress returned with Emily's water. "Here you go, dear. Is there anything else I can get for you girls?" she asked sweetly. "An ice bath?" Hanna answered, only half kidding. "No, we're fine, thank you." Spencer replied, kicking Hanna under the table. The waitress smiled and went back to the counter to help a customer with a take-out order.

"_Oh my God._" Spencer whispered, trying to control the shock that had spread across her face.

"What?" the girls asked in unison. Their eyes searching to see what Spencer had seen, finally landing on the customer sitting at the take-out counter.

"I don't believe it." Spencer added.

"Spit it out, Spence. Do you know that girl or something?" Hanna asked, frustrated at Spencer's vagueness.

"Yeah, don't you recognize her? It's 'Pusher Paige'." Spencer responded to the girls' confused looks.

"Who?" questioned Aria.

"Paige McCullers. Don't you remember? She got busted last year for drug possession and was sent away to some troubled youth camp in Podunk, Idaho. I can't believe she's back already."

_Paige McCullers. _Emily never thought she'd ever see her again. It had been almost a year since she'd last seen Paige and with everything that had happened since then, she'd almost forgotten about her.

At first glance, Emily hadn't recognized her, though she could only see one side of her face. But after hearing Spencer speak her name, she took a second look at the girl. The last time she saw Paige, she had bright auburn hair with a fray of long bangs that almost completely obscured her eyes and a severe A-line haircut that tapered off into sharp points that fell just above her shoulders. But _this_ Paige…_this_ Paige had long, shiny, golden chestnut hair that hung like silk curtains just past her shoulder blades. There was still a hint of auburn, but a much more subtle and natural shade. Aside from a one-piece bathing suit, Emily had only ever seen Paige in polo shirts, long-sleeved cardigans, Capris and saddle shoes, as if she'd walked right off the cover of a Gap catalog. It seems _this _Paige has completely abandoned her old wardrobe as she was now dressed in a thin, loose-fitting black tank-top, with only a tight black sports bra underneath, exposing almost the entire side of her torso. Emily's eyes zoned in on the creamy white skin of Paige's bare rib-cage, slowly shifting her gaze down to her trim waist, past her cut-off jean shorts to her long, smooth, muscular legs capped off by a pair of faded gray Chuck Taylors. Emily suddenly didn't seem to mind this Pennsylvania heat-wave so much.

"That's Paige?" Aria asked surprised, snapping Emily out of her reverie. "She looks…_different_."

"Yeah, looks like juvie did her good." Hanna remarked, impressed.

"Shut up, Hanna." Emily retorted, worried that Paige would overhear them.

"Well, her sudden makeover doesn't change the fact that she's still a criminal. She better not be transferring into Rosewood High. The last thing we need is some degenerate junkie roaming the halls." Spencer added, a little too loudly.

"Spencer!" Emily snapped back in disbelief. Her eyes glanced back up at Paige only to discover, in horror, that she was looking over at them, finally fixing on Emily. Emily could see the shock and hurt in Paige's eyes, giving her the feeling of being punched in the gut. Though only a few seconds had past, it felt like an eternity as they bore into each other. Emily's mouth opened slightly, as if to utter an apology but no sound came out. The waitress returned to the counter with Paige's food, snapping them out of their trance. She took the bag and thanked the waitress before walking swiftly out the door, though not before Emily noticed the small tear that escaped from Paige's left eye.

Emily desperately wanted to go after her to apologize for her friend but she remained glued to her seat. After all, what could she say that would make the situation any better?

"What the hell is wrong with you, Spencer?!" Emily snapped.

"Look, I'm sorry she heard me but it's true. I'm not going to pretend that I'm comfortable with the idea of a reckless druggie sitting next to me in home room."

Emily looked over at Aria and Hanna who were mirroring each other's stunned, open-mouthed expressions. "You know, Spencer, you can be a real asshole sometimes!" Emily stood up abruptly, slamming some cash on the table before walking out the door.

Hanna had been her ride to the Grille, but Emily hoped none of the girls would follow her out as she was seething with anger and needed time to calm down. The ten minute walk home would allow her to do that. Thankfully, none of them did.

Emily couldn't believe her friend sometimes. Spencer was always so quick to judge, never assuming there could be some other explanation as to what happened.

As she walked home through the streets of Rosewood, her mind flashed back to that day at swim practice when Coach Fulton announced that a 'situation' had come up and Paige would no longer be on the team. Emily was surprised but didn't think it could be anything too bad, assuming Paige's grades had dropped below acceptability to be on the team. It wasn't until the next day when Emily saw the vice principal cleaning out Paige's locker that she realized it was much more serious than she'd originally thought.

Rumors circulated through the entire school, over the next few days, about what Paige could have done to get kicked out of school. Spencer had been able to fill the girls in on what really happened, before the story broke in the newspaper, because her mother was good friends with the prosecuting attorney on the case. Apparently, Paige had been stopped by police one night in a bad part of town and was found with almost a half a gram of heroin. She was caught _literally _holding the bag. In exchange for a guilty plea, she was sentenced to spend 250 days at a probation camp rather than serving a year in juvenile detention.

Though Emily didn't know Paige very well, she still had a hard time believing Paige would ever get involved with drugs, at least, not merely out of curiosity. She knew Paige could be a little intense and had a bit of a temper sometimes but that still didn't explain why she'd turn to drugs. There had to have been something major going on in Paige's life for her to resort to such extremes.

Emily felt a twinge as she remembered Paige's mother had passed away just over a year before it happened. _Was that it? _Could the grief of losing her mother and an inability to cope have been what pushed her over the edge? Emily had considered that as a possible reason back when the 'incident' occurred. At the time, she didn't fully understand the lengths grief can cause a person to go to just to make the pain stop. But within the eight months that Paige had been away, Emily had learned, all too well, about the gut-wrenching agony that comes with losing someone you love.

Emily realized she had a new understanding for Paige that she didn't use to. She felt the sudden need to find Paige and hold her in her arms and tell her how sorry she was for the loss of her mother; that she had ever known this kind of pain. A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

When she reached the front steps of her house, Emily quickly wiped her cheek with the back of her hand before she opened the front door. "Hi, Mom" she said as she came into the kitchen. Pam was sitting at the table reading a book.

"Hi, Honey. How was dinner with the girls?" Pam asked, looking up from her book.

"Good for the most part, until Spencer had to open her big mouth."

"What happened?"

"She freaked out when she saw Paige McCullers at the Grille and said some really nasty things about her, which Paige ended up overhearing." Emily groaned. "Ugh, I don't get Spencer someti-"

"Wait, Paige McCullers is back in Rosewood?" Pam cut Emily off, looking concerned. "Is she back for good? Do you know if she'll be going back to Rosewood High?" She closed her book and set it on the table waiting for Emily's response.

"I don't know, Mom. I didn't talk to her. She just stopped into the Grille for take-out and then ran out the door when she overheard Spencer. I wanted to run after her to apologize but I wouldn't have known what to say." Emily's face fell slightly.

"No, Emily. I want you to stay away from that girl. She's a bad influence. I don't want you anywhere near that world." Pam said, unsmiling.

"What world is that?" Emily asked, baffled. _Why is everyone talking about Paige as if she's some horrible monster?_

"Drugs, Emily. I don't want you exposed to any of that. Promise me you'll stay away from her." Pam gave Emily a stern look, unwilling to break eye contact until Emily agreed.

"Alright, fine! I'll stay away from her." Emily replied, too tired to argue with her mother. She turned to head up to her room, stopping just as she reached the first step. "Although, for the record…" she started, turning back to look at her mother "…I think you're wrong about Paige." She continued up the stairs and into her room, closing the door behind her.

Once inside her bedroom, Emily felt her phone buzz and looked to see she had a text message from Aria.

**So sorry about dinner, Em! We should've left with you but it all happened so fast. Spencer's always had a big mouth but she took it too far this time. Don't worry though – Hanna and I gave it to her good. ;) Things will be better tomorrow. See you at school. Night. – Aria**

Emily couldn't help but crack a smile, picturing a screaming match in the middle of the restaurant. She was glad she wasn't the only one who felt Spencer was out of line. Deep down, she knew Spencer had a good heart but she could be very distrusting. It takes a lot to get into Spencer's good graces.

She sent a quick reply to Aria, thanking her for having her back and assuring her she wasn't mad at her, then collapsed on her bed, exhaling loudly. _What a day._ She couldn't believe how quickly the evening had turned sour. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over her as she thought about going to school tomorrow. She wasn't looking forward to the uncomfortable and inevitable conversation she would have to have with Spencer. She felt better though, knowing Aria and Hanna did most of the yelling for her so, hopefully, all that would be left would be for Spencer to apologize for her abhorrent remarks and then they could put this all behind them and move on.

As much as Emily hated fighting with her friends, she knew that only explained half of her uneasiness. She knew this feeling wouldn't subside until she talked to Paige; apologized to her and explained that she didn't share Spencer's feelings. She didn't know why but she couldn't bear the thought of Paige hating her. All she knew for sure was that she never wanted to see that heartbreaking look on Paige's face ever again. She didn't care that her mom wanted her to stay away from Paige; she needed to make this right.

Exhaustion finally hit due to the roller coaster of emotions Emily had experienced in just the last hour. Her eyelids began to droop and the last image she saw in her mind before sleep took over was a pair of big, beautiful, chocolate brown eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for all the amazing reviews I've already gotten. I've always enjoyed writing but have never done anything like this so it was a bit scary hitting that post button but the feedback I've been getting has been so wonderful. It makes writing this story even more enjoyable. I pretty much have everything planned out. I'm just trying to work out how to piece everything together so, again, I apologize for any rough edges that will crop up (and believe me, they will). Keep sending your reviews, good or bad. I welcome them all. I will do my best not to disappoint. And with that…enjoy chapter two! :)**

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Emily woke the next morning at her normal time of 6AM. She had worked hard all summer, recommitting herself to the swim team and giving herself something else to focus on besides the agonizing pain in her chest. Now that school had started again, she no longer had the time to spend all day in the pool so she had made it a habit to get in an early morning swim practice in addition to her after-school one in order to maintain the physical shape she had attained from all her hard work.

She quickly changed for school, brushed her teeth, grabbed a banana from the kitchen and headed out the door.

She enjoyed having the natatorium all to herself. It was quiet, peaceful. It allowed her to clear her mind and to just swim for herself without any pressure.

After putting in a good hour, she did a quick rinse in the shower and blow-dried her hair, then grabbed a coffee at the kiosk in the courtyard, leaving herself with just under five minutes before the first period bell rang. She had stalled as long as she possibly could, without being late to class, so her uncomfortable chat with Spencer wouldn't run on too long. She knew she couldn't avoid it since all the girls had class together but at least this way it would have to be quick.

As Emily rounded the corner, she braced herself for a second when she saw all three girls waiting next to her locker. She took a deep breath and walked the short distance, avoiding eye contact with Spencer.

"Are you still mad at me?" Spencer asked, breaking the silence as Emily reached the last number on her locker combination.

"A little." Emily replied while grabbing her English book, still not looking at her.

"Look, Em, I'm sorry I upset you yesterday. I'm not gonna lie; I meant what I said, but I admit my words were a little harsh." Spencer finished.

_A little harsh? _Emily gave Spencer an incredulous look. "That's a really lame apology, Spencer. Besides, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Emily responded, closing her locker harder than necessary, making all three girls jump at the sound.

"Em, I'm sorry Paige heard what I said but not sorry enough to apologize to her. I don't like her. I know that's not what you want from me but it's the best I can give you. Now please, Em, I don't like fighting with you so can we just agree to disagree and move on?" Spencer pleaded.

Emily sighed. "Fine. Let's just drop it and not talk about it anymore." Emily knew it was pointless to try to change Spencer's mind. Spencer nodded in agreement.

"Good, I don't like it when you guys fight." Aria replied, relieved.

"Yay! Team Spemily, back together again." Hanna chimed in.

Emily gave a slight chuckle. "Come on, Han. We're gonna be late for class."

* * *

About ten minutes into Mr. Fitz's lesson on _To Kill A Mockingbird_ the classroom door opened. Emily froze when she saw who had made the interruption. Paige was standing at the door with a nervous look on her face. Emily could hear her classmates turning to whisper to their neighbors. _"Oh my god, it's the drug pusher." "…Pusher Paige…" "Druggie's back." _Paige's eyes quickly flitted to the floor then up to Mr. Fitz. She walked toward him and handed him a note. Emily shared a quick glance with the girls, all of whom looked almost as anxious as Paige.

"Thank you, Paige. You can go ahead and take the empty seat in the back next to Emily." Mr. Fitz responded after reading the note.

Paige's eyes remained fixed to the floor, avoiding the dirty looks the class was giving her, as she walked to the seat in the back corner of the classroom. She gave a quick glance up to Emily that would have been missed if Emily had blinked but her eyes stayed glued to the nervous girl taking the seat to her right.

Mr. Fitz continued on with his lesson, to which Emily tried her best to pay attention but every few minutes she couldn't help but take a quick peek out of the corner of her eye at the beautiful girl sitting next to her.

When the bell finally rang, the classroom cleared quickly, leaving behind the girls, Emily, and Paige. Emily desperately wanted to talk to Paige but didn't feel it was the best time with the girls still being in the room. Paige gathered her things and crossed in front of Mr. Fitz's desk. "Oh, Paige," she stopped and turned toward her teacher. "The class will be taking a test this Thursday on everything we've read up to this point but I will give you the weekend to get caught up and you can take the test Monday before school, alright?" Paige nodded as Fitz continued. "It might also be helpful to borrow the notes of one of your classmates."

Paige's face fell slightly at his suggestion. "Thanks, Mr. Fitz." She turned and walked out the door.

"Coming, Em?" Aria asked. The girls were waiting for Emily at the back door of the classroom.

"Y-Yeah." Emily responded, refocusing on gathering the rest of her things.

As the girls walked out of the classroom, they remained silent for few seconds. Emily could feel Spencer's eyes on her. "Don't start, Spencer."

"I wasn't gonna say anything…" Spencer replied.

"…it's just that…" all three girls groaned as Spencer continued. "…based on the looks and whispers from the rest of the class, I'm not the only one who's concerned about Paige being here, yet you aren't jumping down any of their throats."

"That's because I expect more from you, Spencer." Emily shot back. "God, Spence, after all the pain and torment we witnessed during Alison's reign, I would've thought we'd have learned our lesson about bullying…or are you trying to take her place?" Emily knew that was a low blow but she couldn't seem to calm her anger enough to hold back.

"Whoa, that's not fair!" Spencer barked. "Ali tortured people for no reason. I was merely expressing a _valid_ concern. It's not like I meant for Paige to hear me. This is completely different from what Ali did."

"Guys, can we please not do this?" Aria implored.

Emily knew Spencer was right, that this was different, but she couldn't help her irritation towards Spencer. She didn't understand why this was bothering her so much. All she knew was that it did. "I need to get to class." Emily stormed off before saying something else she'd regret.

* * *

Emily arrived at her second period Chemistry class a good twenty seconds after the bell had already rung, only further fueling her fury towards Spencer.

"Nice of you to join us, Ms. Fields." the teacher quipped.

"Sorry, Mrs. Kelly." Emily apologized and turned to walk to her seat. Her eyes remained fixed on the floor, half out of embarrassment for being late and half out of annoyance at her friend for causing her lateness. She secretly hoped their little feud in the hallway made Spencer late as well, thus ending her perfect 'no tardies' record.

Emily had almost reached her seat when she spotted a slightly familiar pair of shoes planted on the floor under the _usually empty_ chair next to hers. She looked up to see who was wearing the faded gray Chuck Taylors and came to a dead stop when she saw Paige staring back at her, looking just as shocked as she was.

"Ah, yes. Emily, I've assigned Paige to be your lab partner since you were the only one who didn't have one yet." replied Mrs. Kelly, noticing Emily's pause.

Emily broke her gaze and gave a quick nod of understanding to her teacher before taking her seat at the table she would now be sharing with Paige.

* * *

Emily's anxiety level had been building over Mrs. Kelly's entire demonstration. She hadn't had the chance to apologize to Paige yet. She peered over at Paige, trying to gauge her demeanor, which, Emily noticed, seemed dejected. _God, it's worse than I thought. _Emily cursed herself for not having the courage to run after Paige last night when she dashed out of the Grille. She had put this off long enough. It was time to clear the air. Before Emily could come up with the best way to bring it up, the teacher released the class to start on the assignment with their partners.

Each group immediately began working on their experiments, while Emily and Paige sat in an awkward silence for several seconds. _Say something, Idiot!_ Just as Emily was opening her mouth to speak, Paige broke the silence, "I'm sorry."

_What? Why is she sorry? _Emily's brows furrowed, perplexed.

"I'm sure I'm not your first choice for a lab partner." Paige frowned, her eyes on her hands as she picked nervously at her fingernails.

"No, it's okay. I don't mind." _You don't mind?! Nice one, Fields._ Emily took a deep breath before proceeding. "Paige, I'm really sorry for what happened last night at the Grille. I wa-"

"It's okay, Emily. You don't have t-"

"No, I do. Spencer shouldn't have said what she did. It was way out of line. I wanted to come find you after you left but I didn't know what to say."

"It's nice of you to say that but it's really not necessary. I mean, yeah, it did sting a little bit, but it's not like I didn't expect to hear those kinds of things when I got back."

Emily wanted to cry at Paige's words. She wanted to say something to make Paige feel better. The best she could come up with was, "Well, you won't hear any of those things from me."

Paige looked up from her hands and gave Emily a kind smile. Emily couldn't help but notice how lovely Paige's smile was. She felt a sudden warmth in her chest; something she hadn't felt in a long time. She smiled back in response, her eyes focusing on the alluring pools of milk chocolate looking back at her. After a while, Emily realized she'd been staring much longer than any normal person should. She gave her head a slight shake as if to dispel her daydream. "Well, should we get started then, partner?" Emily asked, hoping Paige didn't think she was some gawking freak.

"Let's do this." Paige grinned.

Emily felt as though a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that she had cleared things up with Paige. She felt relieved knowing Paige didn't hate her.

They got to work on their experiment, putting on their safety goggles then gathering their needed materials before starting on the first set of instructions written on the whiteboard. The remainder of the period seemed to pass by quickly. What she thought would be a boring experiment, based on Mrs. Kelly's demonstration, turned out to be quite enjoyable, though Emily wondered if that had more to do with her lab partner. Paige was different than Emily remembered her to be. She seemed more sure of herself; less uptight. It was refreshing. They kept the conversation light, mostly talking about the assignment as well as Mr. Fitz's upcoming test on _To Kill A Mockingbird_. When Emily offered to let Paige borrow her notes, Paige thanked Emily as if she had just given her a kidney. It saddened Emily to think that Paige didn't expect to be treated with any amount of kindness, even something as small as lending her notes.

The end of the experiment resulted in a foul smelling green slime and, Emily hoped, a new friend in Paige.

As Paige started cleaning up, her arm brushed against Emily's. A jolt of electricity shot through Emily, causing her to knock over the beaker filled with water, consequently soaking Paige's notebook.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Emily said, mortified.

"It's okay; it's only water." Paige chuckled.

Emily reached for the notebook and began wiping the front of it off with a paper towel. She flipped it over to do the same but gasped when she saw the intricate design sketched on the back. "Did you draw this? It looks just the cover from that band, _Weighing Anchor_. This is so good."

Paige looked up at Emily, surprised. "You know that band?"

"Have I been living under a rock?" Emily joked. "Of course I do; their stuff's amazing."

Paige beamed at Emily's words. "You know…if you're interested…I've got a bootleg of their new album. I could burn you a copy if you'd like."

"Are you serious? Their new album doesn't come out for two months; how do you have a copy?"

"I have my ways." Paige gave Emily a devilish grin causing Emily's pulse to quicken in response. _What is happening? _Once again, Emily found herself gazing into Paige's deep brown eyes. This time, it was the bell that broke their trance.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm so very sorry it has taken me so long to update. I've been busy with work and some personal stuff as well as hitting a bit of writer's block. I know what the story's about, it's just how to tell it that's been giving me some trouble and I didn't want to rush it. I knew it wouldn't be perfect but I feel much better about this chapter now than the way it looked a couple weeks ago. I appreciate you all being so patient.**

**I apologize for any incorrect facts contained in this and any future chapters. I did all my research on the web and, as we all know – everything we read on the internet is true. ;)**

**Thank you, again, for all your great reviews. Keep them coming, PLEASE! They give me that extra push I need to keep going.**

**I'll try really hard not to let another month go by before another update. This chapter's a little longer than the last two so I hope that makes up for the long wait.**

**Thanks, again, for taking the time to read my story and for sticking with me. I hope you all enjoy. And review, review, review!**

* * *

Emily's next two classes flew by, which delighted her because, normally, every day would drag on as if there were no end in sight.

By the time lunch rolled around, she was in a much better mood and her anger towards Spencer had subsided. She apologized for her 'Alison comment', to which Spencer quickly forgave. She knew Emily didn't mean it. They sat and ate their lunch peacefully as if nothing had happened.

"Wow, Em. You're in a good mood. Did the coach make you anchor?" Hanna asked?

"No…not yet. I just…think I did well on my History quiz." Emily was glad that the girls seemed to believe her. It wasn't a total lie, after all.

Hanna started babbling on about something unimportant–shoes or purses, maybe. Emily wasn't paying attention. Her mind had drifted back to Chem class and her intriguing lab partner. A small smile spread across her face. Emily suddenly felt a big pair of eyes watching her, shaking her out of her reverie. She looked up and noticed Aria studying her quizzically. Emily's brows furrow slightly, as if to ask what the look is for. Instead of responding, Aria's eyes lifted above Emily's head to something behind her.

"Um…Emily?" the voice was coming from behind Emily. She turned around to see Paige standing there.

"Hi Paige! How are you?" Emily greeted her, unable to control the excitement in her voice, catching herself off guard with her enthusiasm.

"Good, thanks. Um…I'm sorry to bother you…I just wanted to return your notes. Thanks for letting me borrow them."

"Oh, of course. Are you done with them already? You can take them home with you tonight, I don't mind."

"That's okay. I didn't want to make you miss a night of studying. I just copied the notes down in my notebook."

"You mean the notebook I destroyed?" Emily's face flushed with embarrassment.

Paige chuckled, "Emily, you didn't destroy it. It's completely dry now and perfectly fine. Really." Paige held out Emily's notes for her to take back.

Emily accepted them, tentatively. "Okay. If you're sure?"

"I'm sure. Thank you, again. It means a lot." Paige smiled.

Before Emily could think, the words fell out of her mouth automatically, "Do you wanna sit with us?"

Paige was caught off guard at Emily's invitation. She half-smiled, ready to accept, then remembered the 'us' in Emily's question. She quickly looked up at the other three girls sitting with Emily. Hanna and Aria both just looked at Emily, surprised. However, Spencer was giving Paige the stink-eye. A look Emily didn't see as she was still facing Paige.

"Uhhh…n-no thanks. I have to…talk to Mr. Barns about…a homework assignment. Thanks again, for the notes." Paige replied, quickly making an excuse.

"Oh, okay. You're welcome." Emily said, disappointed.

Emily watched Paige walk away and exit the cafeteria, then she turned back around to face her friends, all of whom were staring at Emily with expressions ranging from confused to stunned.

"What?" Emily asked of all three of them.

"What the hell was that, Em?!" Spencer asked, flabbergasted.

Emily sighed. "Spencer, what were we just saying about your attitude towards Paige? I thought we were done with this."

"That's when I thought we were done with _her_. How could you invite her to sit with us…and why on earth would you lend her your notes?"

"It's called being nice, Spence. You should try it sometime." Emily retorted.

"Guys, please stop. This is giving me a headache." Hanna whined.

Spencer ignored Hanna's plea. "I never said I'd be nice. We _both_ agreed to let it go, not invite her into the group. Why is she suddenly your new best friend?"

"She's not. She's my lab partner in Chemistry. After I apologized for what _you_ said about her, we talked. She's really nice…and if you gave her a chance, you'd see that."

"First of all, I never asked you to apologize for me. And, second of all, why is it so important to you that I like Paige?"

Emily sat there with her mouth open, trying to think of an answer to Spencer's question. Unable to come up with anything but determined not to let Spencer win, Emily gathered her lunch tray and threw her bag over her shoulder. "You know what, Spencer…you act all high and mighty and make everyone around you feel inferior to you as if 'The Great Spencer Hastings' has never made a mistake, when we all know that's not true. Yet, you're perfectly happy to let everyone else believe it is. You get to act like a total snot-rag cause Mommy and Daddy have a safety net of cash to catch your fall."

Spencer sat frozen with her mouth hanging open, looking shocked.

"Em, please, you don't have to leave." Aria implored.

Emily's eyes focused on Spencer. "Yeah…I really do." She turned back to Aria and Hanna, softening her expression. "Besides, I can't afford to be late for class twice today. I'll see you guys later." And with that, she turned and walked out the door.

* * *

Normally, Emily really enjoyed swim practice. Though not quite as relaxing as her solo sessions, she usually jumped at any opportunity to feel her body cutting through that cool blue water. However, today, her mind was clouded with everything that had happened since last night. She'd had three fights with Spencer in less than twenty-four hours, and all of them were about Paige. _How could one girl cause so much drama? What is it about Paige that makes me so defensive? Why do I care if my friends like Paige or not? _These questions consumed Emily's thoughts, leaving her unable to focus on anything else. This didn't go unnoticed by her coach.

"Fields." Coach Fulton called Emily over as she was pulling herself out of the pool. "Is everything okay, Emily? Your times are way off from where they were last week."

"I'm sorry, Coach. I guess I've just…got a lot on my mind. I'll be back to my normal times by tomorrow, I promise." Emily apologized, embarrassed by her slow performance in the pool.

"It's not your times I'm worried about so much as your well-being. Are you sure you're okay?" Coach asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Coach. It's just stress…senior year and all. I'll be fine."

"Alright. But if you need to talk about anything, my door's always open."

"Thanks, Coach." Emily smiled.

Coach Fulton blew her whistle and shouted to the rest of the team. "Alright, Sharks, that's enough for today! Good practice, ladies! Now, hit the showers!"

Emily was the last one to finish up in the locker room due to her unintentionally long shower. She didn't mean to take so long but the hot water felt so good against her skin—a welcome relief from all the anxiety she was feeling. She was just about to leave the locker room when she heard voices coming from Coach Fulton's office. She peaked around the corner to see what was going on and was surprised to see Paige having, what looked to be, an intense conversation with the coach. She couldn't tell what the two were saying but she saw the coach shake her head and Paige's face fall. Paige nodded and said something Emily couldn't make out, then turned and walked out of the office and through the double doors of the natatorium.

* * *

By the time Emily got home from school, she was feeling more confused than ever. Her after-school swim practice and the hot shower afterwards did nothing to clear her mind. And after the exchange she witnessed between Paige and the coach, she now had a new question to add to her muddled thoughts: _What were Paige and Coach talking about?_

Before Emily could focus on any of her homework, she decided to try one last thing to clear her mind—the only other thing that worked. She put her bag down on her bed, changed into her workout gear, and laced up her running shoes. She wrote a quick note to her mom, telling her where she was headed and that she'd be back in about an hour, writing the current time on the top of the piece of paper.

One of the great things about Rosewood is that there are many hiking trails to choose from. Emily's favorite is one called the Hollow Creek Trail. For one thing, it was more challenging than the other trails which allowed for the best workout but the main reason she preferred this one was because it wasn't one many people knew about so it was quiet, which was exactly what Emily needed.

After about ten minutes of light jogging to get her warmed up, Emily picked up her pace. Not a full on sprint but enough to get her heart rate up so that all she could hear was the sound of her heart beating in her ears. It had been a while since she'd taken this trail and she forgot how much she'd missed it. She had been so focused on swimming and nothing else. Part of her wondered if she'd been avoiding it intentionally, afraid that the quiet would leave her to her own thoughts, which wasn't a place she wanted to be these days. However, the combination of the peaceful quiet, the smell of the trees, the welcomed burn in her calves, and the vibrations of her rapid heartbeat was the perfect recipe to calm her nerves. At that moment, she allowed herself to let go of all her worries for the time being and just be in the moment. She felt a small piece of her shattered heart heal. This gave her hope.

She continued this pace for another twenty minutes, relishing in this new-found serenity. She had almost reached the end of the trail, when she suddenly heard heavy footsteps not far behind her. The calm she had found was now lost as panic started to set in. The footsteps were gaining fast.

* * *

Emily stood frozen, paralyzed with fear. The footsteps were getting closer, louder, just around the bend. She could feel a scream building in her throat as her pursuer turned the corner, coming into view.

Relief washed over her once she saw the familiar pair of chocolate eyes staring back at her.

"Emily?" Paige stopped mid-jog, surprised to see her here.

"Oh my God, I thought you were a murderer." Emily managed to choke out, completely out of breath and clutching her chest.

Paige chucked. "So, now I've been upgraded from a junkie to a killer, huh?" She joked.

"No, I just…didn't think anyone else knew about this trail." Emily replied, her breathing still labored.

"Neither did I. I used to run this trail all the time and I never once saw anyone. I'm sorry I scared you." Paige replied, slightly amused. When Emily didn't respond, Paige took a few tentative steps toward the girl who was still clutching her chest. "I'm really sorry. Are you okay?" Paige asked, her voice now full of concern.

"I'm fine. It's okay. You just…surprised me is all." Emily replied, her breathing and heart rate still not back to normal.

"Here." Paige held out her water bottle to Emily. "This'll help."

Emily took the bottle from Paige and smiled. She took a small swig and handed it back to Paige. "Thanks."

"No, take the rest. Please, I insist. It's the least I can do for nearly giving you a heart attack." Paige grinned, only half amused.

Emily chuckled. "Thank you." She chugged the last eight ounces of water and gave the empty bottle back to Paige.

"Feeling better?" Paige asked.

"Much, thank you." Emily replied.

They started to walk together at a steady pace.

"Our third encounter in one day…you must think I'm stalking you." Paige quipped.

Emily turned to look at Paige, raising one eyebrow.

"I'm not, I promise." Paige said, reassuringly.

"I know, I was just kidding." Emily chuckled.

"I'm surprised you have the energy for a run. I mean, didn't you just finish swim practice?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, I did. I had an off day at practice today and I thought a run would help clear my head."

"I can't imagine Emily 'Superstar' Fields having an 'off day' in the pool. You're the fastest one on the team…by a mile."

"Only because you're not there to kick my ass." Emily joked, then instantly regretted it. She turned to look at Paige, who was now staring down at her feet. "Paige…I'm sorry…I wasn't…"

"It's okay, Emily, really." Paige assured. "You're right, though. You're lucky I'm not there cause I'd leave you in the dust." Paige grinned, which Emily couldn't help but return.

Paige dropped her gaze and turned to focus on the path they were walking. Emily, however, now that her breathing was back to normal and she no longer had to fear being murdered in the woods, finally took the time to get a good look at Paige. Other than a quick, yet appreciative once-over she gave her at the Grille the night before, she had only been able to focus on her eyes, finding them so incredibly mesmerizing, she couldn't tear her gaze away to observe the rest of her. But now that Paige's head was turned away, it gave Emily the chance to fully take her in. Her eyes drifted down to Paige's neck, watching as a droplet of sweat was slowly making its way down the center of her chest, finally disappearing into the crevice beneath a tight purple tank top. Her eyes continued to follow the now hidden droplet, narrowing in on the taut fabric clinging to Paige's abdomen, revealing her _clearly_ chiseled abs underneath. As she studied the outlines in the garment formed by Paige's toned stomach muscles, Emily could feel her pulse quicken and she briefly wondered what it would feel like to touch them. To run her tongue over them. _Stop it, Emily! _She tore her gaze away to stop the inappropriate thoughts, then took a hesitant glance over at Paige out of the corner of her eye, silently praying the other girl hadn't witnessed her ogling. She was relieved to see Paige was still staring straight ahead.

A few moments of silence went by and Emily was fighting the urge to ask Paige one of the questions that had been plaguing her. After a few more moments of silence, she couldn't take it anymore. "Paige…can I ask you something?"

Paige looked up at Emily, looking very nervous. "Um…sure."

Emily hesitated for a moment. "I saw you talking to Coach Fulton today after school…" Paige looked surprised by what Emily was saying as if this wasn't what she thought her question would be. Emily continued. "I didn't hear what you were talking about but you looked sad when you left her office…is everything okay?"

Paige's head dropped down to look at her feet again.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business." Emily said, regretting her question.

"No…it's okay." Paige looked back up at Emily after hearing the regret in her apology. "I was…I was asking Coach if I could rejoin the swim team." Paige averted her gaze again, looking embarrassed. She paused for a moment, before continuing. "I pretty much knew what her answer would be but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask." Paige tried to play it off as if it wasn't a big deal but Emily remembered the look on her face before she left Coach's office. Even now, though Paige was masking it pretty well, Emily could see the sadness behind her eyes. That look—the one Emily never wanted to see from Paige again—had returned. It made Emily's chest tighten.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Paige." Paige shook her head, still playing it off as if she didn't care. Emily paused for a brief moment, trying to think of something to say. Anything to make her smile again. "Maybe-"

Emily cried out as she felt a sharp pain shooting from her ankle.

"Shit." Paige reached out to catch Emily who was beginning to collapse. She caught sight of the brown and tan snake before it slithered off into the bushes.

Emily felt as though she was being repeatedly stabbed in the ankle. It was a pain unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Her vision was going blurry and she was losing sense of her surroundings.

Paige pulled out her phone and cursed under her breath when she saw she didn't have service. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay, Emily. Everything's going to be okay. We just need to get to where there's cell service, which shouldn't be too far up ahead. Just breathe, okay? You're gonna be fine." With one swift motion, Paige lifted Emily's legs off the ground and carried her the remaining length of the trail. She spotted a bench near the road, laying Emily down in a seated position with her legs resting along the length of the bench. She gently moved Emily's bitten ankle so it hung down over the edge. She then pulled out her phone to call the ambulance.

Emily was suddenly aware she was no longer in the woods and was now sitting on a bench. She wasn't sure how she got there. She looked up to see Paige speaking rapidly into her phone but was still so dizzy, she could only make out a few words.

"…Copperhead…Hollow Creek Trail…please hurry."

Paige hung up the phone and turned back to Emily. "Okay, Em. The ambulance will be here soon. You're gonna be just fine. In the meantime, I need you take slow, even breaths, okay? You need to keep your heart rate down as much as possible."

Tears were pouring down Emily's face. "I can't! It hurts so much! I can't…breathe."

"I know it hurts, Em. Just focus on your breathing."

Emily kept her eyes closed and continued to gasp for breath.

"Em, look at me. Breathe with me." Paige reached out to hold Emily's hand.

Emily opened her eyes at Paige's touch. She looked up and watched Paige's chest slowly expand and contract and her shoulders rise and fall evenly. She focused on trying to match her breathing with Paige's, finding it nearly impossible. She then met Paige's eyes—those warm, soothing, chocolate brown eyes that told her she was going to be okay and in that instant, she knew it was true. Emily felt her heart rate return to normal and her breathing even out. Both girls were now breathing in sync, never breaking eye contact. They stayed lost in each other's gaze, not realizing the ambulance had arrived until they heard two car doors slam one right after the other.

The paramedics retrieved a gurney from the back of the ambulance and wheeled it over to the bench. One of them started to inspect Emily's wound and the other asked Emily her name, which she gave him.

"Okay, Emily. My name's Michael and this is my partner, John. We're gonna take good care of you, okay?" Emily nodded and Paige rubbed circles on the back of her hand for more reassurance.

Emily was hoisted onto the gurney and given oxygen, all while still holding Paige's hand. John noticed this and thanked Paige, telling her they would take it from here. They began to load Emily into the back of the ambulance but she tightened her grip on Paige's hand, looking up at her with a worried expression.

"I wanna ride with you to the hospital." Paige said to John, after seeing the fear in Emily's eyes.

"I understand, Miss, but I need room to work. There's nothing you can do for her right now."

"I'm not leaving her!" Paige said, vehemently. "That's what I can do for her. Now, unless you want to waste precious minutes arguing with me, let's get her to the fucking hospital."

John seemed taken aback.

"Okay." Paige looked up when she heard Michael's voice. "But you need to stay out of John's way and let him do his job." Paige nodded in response.

Michael and John loaded Emily into the ambulance and Paige climbed in after her, reaching for Emily's hand again and continuing her circular patterns.


End file.
